Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met US Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer in New Delhi on Wednesday, signaling a thaw in India‑US ties. The Ministry of External Affairs said the officials discussed the strength of the economic and technology partnership, ongoing trade talks and ways to boost bilateral trade and build resilient supply chains. Switzer is on a two‑day visit for high‑level meetings.
A US trade delegation is in New Delhi from December 10–12 for talks aimed at finalising a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Switzer will meet senior Indian officials to advance trade discussions. Both sides are negotiating a comprehensive agreement covering multiple sectors to substantially expand trade.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, speaking to reporters in Jaipur, said talks with the US are progressing steadily. He noted continuous discussions on trade issues and confirmed the US negotiating team’s presence in India, expressing hope to meet them during their visit. Goyal added that trade negotiations take time because they involve many angles and “many dots have to be connected,” stressing that India does not negotiate deals to artificial deadlines.
Earlier, US trade representative Jamieson Greer told the US Senate Appropriations Committee that India’s offers on outstanding trade issues were “the best that the US has ever received,” in response to questions about boosting American agricultural exports to India.
India and the US have held several rounds of talks and kept the dialogue open despite delays. New Delhi hopes the first tranche of the agreement can be finalised in the coming months. The BTA was first discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington earlier this year, and both sides remain keen to formalise the deal.
